My name is Gonz, and I am the bearded minstrel. I have been playing Lord of the Rings Online for over 10 years and have been a fan of Tolkien for even longer!

While I can recite the lore of the world backwards, forwards, and sideways, I know very little about the lore created by Turbine and SSG. As an MMO-nut, I often skipped reading the quests, something I now regret!

The purpose of this blog is to tell the beautiful stories of the Lord of the Rings Online, to be preserved for as long as possible.

I will update this blog as often as possible, so I hope you join me on my adventure through Middle Earth!

The man adventurer and Jon Brackenbrook had stood against the Blackwold assault, but many good folk had perished. In the cold light of day, they buried the dead and began rebuilding their lives. Strider had gone and Amdir’s fate was unknown. However, the adventurer would soon find himself facing off against the Blackwolds once more...

The following story is not cannon and was not originally written by Standing Stone Games. The purpose of this story is to tie together all of the race's introductions and prologues for the beginning of Book I, Volume I. From this point onward, the stories will contain the plural "adventurers" in reference to this fellowship.

Gandalf the Grey had arrived too late, Frodo Baggins and his companions had left for Rivendell without him. Saruman the White had become the jailer of Mordor and had imprisoned Gandalf atop the tower of Orthanc. All was not lost, however, as Strider, chieftain of the Dúnedain, traveled with them. Meanwhile, the adventurers had returned to the Prancing Pony from the Barrow-Downs, bringing grim tidings with them. As dire as the news was, however, Gandalf could not detract from reaching Frodo. The wizard would have to place the fate of the people of Eriador in the hands of the brave adventurers.

Gandalf raced towards Weathertop. He did not know which road Strider had led the hobbits down but the peak of Amon Sûl would surely reveal it. With
great haste, he arrived in three day’s time. From atop the ruins, he could see across the vast lone-lands but there was no sign of the ranger or the hobbits. It was then that he felt the darkness approaching. He turned to find the Nazgûl upon him. The wizard brandished his staff and sword and prepared for battle.

Frodo looked to the starry night sky. They had made camp within the Midgewater Marshes where their presence would unlikely be discovered. Merry and Pippin were still asleep and Sam was busy swatting the flies away. He looked to the distance and saw flashes of Light. “What is the light?” he said to Strider, who had risen, and was standing, gazing ahead into the night. “I do not know”, Strider answered slowly. Frodo laid down and went to sleep. The last images he saw that night were of the white flashes and the tall dark figure of Strider before him.